Keyboard controls for adding machines



Aug. 9, 1955 D. P. BRUBAKER KEYBOARD CONTROLS FOR ADDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 15, 1954 INVENTOR DAMON P BRUBAKER BY M Aug. 9, 1955 D. P. BRUBAKER KEYBOARD CONTROLS FOR ADDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 15, 1954 mm ov -Nm mm INVENTOR DAMON I? BRUBAKER BY g h @M 6 HIS ATTORNEYS x mm Aug. 9, 1955 D. P. BRUBAKER 2,714,988

KEYBOARD CONTROLS FOR ADDING MACHINES Filed NOV. 15, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR DAMON F? BRUBAKER BY gw M HIS ATTORNEYS Aug. 9, 1955 D. P. BRUBAKER 2,714,938

KEYBOARD CONTROLS FOR ADDING MACHINES Filed Nov. 15, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR DAMON I? BRUBA KER United States Patent KEYBOARD CONTRQLS FOR ADDING MACHINES Damon P. Brubaker, Ogden, Utah, assignor to The National Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Maryland Application November 15, 1954, Serial No. 468,855

6 Claims. (Cl. 235-62) This invention relates to a repeat mechanism for calculating machines and more particularly pertains to such in connection with machines wherein digit keys are provided that may be operated beyond an entry control point to initiate a cycle of machine operation.

Keys in such machines are held in normal position by return springs, and operation of the keys is against the return action of such springs. If any such key is depressed to a position in which it controls entry of data into the machine, it is latched there until the end of the ensuing machine operation, when the latch means is disabled temporarily by latch release means, allowing the operated keys to be returned to unoperated position by their springs. By depressing any one of such digit keys past the latch point against further spring resistance, a cycle of machine operation is initiated in which the amount set up on the various operated keys is entered into the machine.

By this invention, means is provided whereby, by holding down an operated key in the cycle-initiating position, through the end of a machine cycle, the latch release means is disabled and all of the operated keys are held latched down while another machine cycle is initiated, thus causing a repeat entry of the number represented by the depressed keys.

The novel mechanism is incorporated in a machine like that disclosed in the application for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 237,758, filed July 20, 1951, by Roland G. Fowler et al., the key latch release mechanism therein being modified for the purposes of this invention.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide, in a calculating machine having digit keys which may be operated to control entries of data and to initiate cycles of machine operation, mechanism for controlling repeat operations by any one of the digit keys.

It is a further object of the invention to provide means whereby the key latch release mechanism is disabled as long as the key is held in cycle-initiating position through repeated cycles, so that all operated keys are held latched in operated position.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, a preferred embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view of the right side of the machine with the cabinet removed.

Fig. 2 is a view of the left side of the machine with the cabinet removed.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section from front to rear of one side of a typical key bank, showing the control of the digit keys over the switch which, when closed, initiates a cycle of machine operation.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the left side of the bail operated by the digit keys in cycle-initiating operations.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a solenoid, its energizing Patented Aug. 9, 1955 2 circuit, and the cycle-initiating mechanism operated thereby.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of two of the keys of a typical digit key bank, showing the latching means and the slide which is operated by depressing a key to cycleinitiating position.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the key release bail, showing its interaction with the slides which are operated by the keys to cause a cycle of machine operation.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged right side elevation of a portion of a digit key row slide which operates the cycleinitiating mechanism, and its relation to the key latch release bail.

Fig. 9 is a front view, partially in section, of the key latching and release means associated with a typical digit key.

Fig. 10 is a view of the machine trip means.

Machine drive The machine is driven by an electric motor 35 (Fig. 2), as controlled by cycle-initiating tripping mechanism and single-cycle clutch mechanism, to be described. One machine cycle consists of the rocking of shaft 55 first clockwise for the first half cycle, and then counterclockwise to complete the cycle. When the machine cycle is initiated, the normally open switch 41 (Fig. 10) in the motor supply circuit is closed by ear 42 on a lever 43 loosely mounted on a frame-supported shaft 36. Lever 43 is turned counter-clockwise by stud 34 on bell crank lever 109 by the turning of shaft 36 (see also Fig. 2), on which it is secured. Three-armed lever 37 (Fig. 2), secured to the outer end of shaft 36, is rocked by the action of spring 38 anchored to the machine framework by stud 39 on plate 40 secured to the left vertical side frameplate 72.

The car 42 (Fig. 10) is caught by spring-urged pawl 44, to hold the motor switch closed until the close of the machine cycle, when latch 44 is lifted by an arm 33 secured to shaft 55, allowing the switch blade to spring open. At this time, lever 37 has reset, and the bottom end of lever 43 is moved against stud 34. Normally, shaft 36 is held against the urge of spring 38 in the position shown in Fig. 10, when the motor switch is open, by trip latch 104 engaging the ear 105. Trip latch 104 swings from a frame-supported stud 32. To initiate a machine cycle, latch 104 is rocked clockwise, as seen in Fig. 10, by the end of a lever 45, pivoted at its right end, by pivot 117 (Fig. 5), to the machine base. The operation of latch 104 (Fig. 5) by the digit key is brought about by the energization of solenoid 46, which has its armature embracing lever 45.

The motor, through reduction gearing, turns a drive shaft upon which is secured a notched wheel 47 (Fig. 2). Loosely mounted on the drive shaft on which the notched wheel is mounted is a crank plate 43 having pivoted thereto a toothed pawl 49 actuated by spring 50, so that the tooth thereon is urged towards the notched wheel 47 to lock the motor drive shaft and the crank plate 48 together. After the machine is tripped and lever 37 has rocked counter-clockwise, a stud 51 thereon, which ordinarily holds pawl 49 in disengaged position with respect to notched wheel 47, moves away from the pawl, and, simultaneously, the motor starts and drives crank plate 48 in the direction of the arrow. As the crank plate 48 nears completion of its rotation, an arm 52 thereon strikes stud 53 on lever 37, rocking lever 37 clockwise to disengage pawl 49 from notched wheel 47, thus completing a cycle of operation of the machine. If the latch 104 (Fig. 10) is not allowed to engage with the car 105 of lever 109, the lever 37 wil again move to cycle-initiating position, and the machine will keep on cycling until the latch 104 is allowed to return to latching position.

This will be described later in connection with the energization of the solenoid 46 (Fig. by the digit keys. Pivoted to crank plate 48 is a link 54 (Fig. 2), which is in turn pivoted to a two-armed plate 56 rotatively mounted on shaft 55. Plate 56 is coupled to a plate 58 secured to shaft 55 by a lever 57 pivoted at 61) to plate 56 through a stud 71 mounted thereon. This stud is held in a notch in plate 58 by a spring 59.

Referring to Fig. 1, the right end of shaft 55 has pinned thereto a drive plate 61, which has pivoted to it a link 62 pivoted at its other end to a second drive plate 63 pinned to a cross shaft 64. As a cycle of machine operation is initiated, the plates 61 and 63 are rocked counterclockwise, returning in the second half of the cycle to the home position, shown in Fig. 1. The digit key restoring operating means receives its key release movement from plate 63, as will be described later.

The digit keyboard limit A digit keyboard unit is housed in a case consisting of a top plate 65, a bottom plate 66 (see also Fig. 2), a right side plate 67, and a left side plate 68, connected together by a front vertical cross plate 69 and a rear vertical cross plate 71).

Each of the digit keys 71 (Figs. 3 and 9) is provided with a stem 73 slidably mounted in alined slots in the top and bottom plates 65 and 66, the bottom of each key stem being bifurcated. The longer leg 74, which passes through the slot in the bottom plate, is surrounded by a spring 75, by which it is held in a normal raised position. Each of the keys has a slot 76 (see Fig. 9), through which passes a slide 77 common to all the keys of a denominational order. This slide 77 has a cam notch 78 (Figs. 3 and 8) associated with each digit key. On the left edge of each digit key is a latching formation 79 (Figs. 6 and 9), which cooperates with a latching shutter 89, common to all keys of a denominational bank and spring-urged toward the left edges of all the key stems. Each latching shutter 81) is mounted on a rod 81 secured in the front and rear plates 69 and 71) of the key bank unit. A spring is wound around the rod 81 to urge the shutter to latching position. As a key is depressed against the return action of its spring 75, the latching formation 79 lowers until it passes the lower edge of the associated shutter 80, which springs into latching position as soon as the formation 79 passes said lower edge. This constitutes a normal operation of the key to latching and data-controlling position, wherein the leg 74 is below the bottom plate 66 of the key bank unit, where it is in position to control the movement of the stop bar, such as bar 82, shown in Fig. 2. The stop bars are given a forward and backward excursion on each machine operation, as described in the aforementioned Fowler application. In Fig. 6, the number 2 key is shown in depressed and latched position, whereas the number 1 key is shown in the raised, or normal, position.

Keyboard cycle-initiating mechanism If a digit key is depressed past the latching point, the top of the slot 76 (Fig. 3) meets and will bear down on the cam notch 7 and cause a forward thrust of the slide 77. Depending from the front end of slide 77 is a leg 83 (see Figs. 3, 4, 6, and 8), which cooperates with a bail 84 running across the front of the machine in front of plate 69, said bail being pivoted on pivots S5 and 86 (Figs. 1 and 2) mounted on the side plates 68 and 67 of the key bank unit. Depending from the center of the bail is a switch-actuating leg 87 (Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5), which is spring-urged by spring 96 against a spring blade 88 (see especially Fig. 3), holding open a toggle switch 89, which is in series with the supply circuit of the solenoid 46 (Fig. 5) energized by terminals 90 and 91. A main switch 92 is provided in the circuit, and it may be closed when it is desired to have the machine cycles initiated by operation of the digit keys beyond the latching position. As a key is depressed past the latching position, the associated slide 77 is moved forward, rocking the bail clockwise, as seen in Fig. 3, relieving the toggle switch 89 from the pressure of leg 87, allowing the toggle switch to close and energize solenoid 46. This rocks lever 45 and latch 1.04 to initiate a cycle of machine operation. Upon lever 45 being rocked, a lever 94, pivoted on the machine base, is rocked counter-clockwise, as seen in Fig. 5, by link 93, whereupon an car 97 thereon presses against blade 88, opening the switch, which de-energizes the solenoid 46, allowing the latch to move to latching position, unless prevented, at the end of the machine operation. As explained, the lever 37 (Figs. 2 and 10) is kicked to home position near the end of each rotation of crank plate 48, which allows trip latch 104 to regain control unless the lever 45 is again pulled by the solenoid. The lever 45 is urged to move in the latching direction by spring 110, anchored to right frame plate 111 (Fig. 1) and attached to the forward arm 112 of the trip lever pivoted at 113 to the said right side plate 111. The downwardly-extending arm 114 of the trip lever has an car 115 (Fig. 5), which is pivotally connected by link 116 to lever 45, which is pivoted to the base of the machine at 117. The spring 110 constantly urges link 116 rearwardly and lever 45 clockwise in the latching direction. As the solenoid is deenergized at the time the three-armed lever 37 (Fig. 10) is knocked to home position, the latch 104 will be effective to hold the machine from entering into another cycle. But, if a digit key is held down to cycle-initiating position through the end of a machine cycle, the return of lever 45 to latching position immediately energizes the solenoid 46 to cause the lever 45 to move to unlatching position. Thus, by holding down on a digit key to the cycle-initiating point, the machine is caused to make repeated cycles of operation.

The movement of a slide 77 (Fig. 3), which is moved when an associated key is moved past the latching position into the cycle-initiating position, is utilized to prevent the digit key restoring means from being effective to release the keys at the end of a machine cycle. If a particular digit key is held down through the end of a cycle, the operated keys will not be released, thus creating a condition in which a multiple-digit number set up on the keyboard may be entered repeatedly by holding down but one digit key past the latching point, as will next be described.

The novel key release and repeat mechanism Referring to Fig. 1, on the right side plate 67 of the key bank unit is a key release actuating lever 120, pivoted on stud 121, and urged clockwise by spring 122, secured to an upwardly-extending arm 123 of lever 120 and anchored to the plate 67 on stud 124. The lever 121) is held in the position shown against the urge of spring 122, when the machine is at rest, by reason of the fact that a stud 125 on plate 63 bears against the bottom end of a downwardly-extending arm 126 of lever 120. As the machine operation begins, plate 63 rocks counterclockwise, allowing lever 120 to respond to the action of spring 122. As lever 120 rocks clockwise, a by-pass pawl 127 thereon wipes past a stud 128 on a bell crank lever 129 pivoted on stud 86 mounted in the right frame plate 67 of the key bank unit. On the last half of the machine cycle, plate 63 turns clockwise to home position, restoring the lever 120 to the position shown in Fig. 1, and, as the by-pass pawl 127 cannot turn clockwise, it strikes stud 128 solidly, carrying bell crank lever 129 with it. On the upper extending arm of hell crank lever 129 is a boss 130, on which is mounted one end of a compression spring 131, the lower end of which is mounted on a boss 133 mounted on arm 134 on the right end of key release bail 135, running across the front of the keyboard unit. Bail 135 is mounted in the side frame plates 67 and 68 of the keyboard units by pivot studs 85 and 86 (see also Fig. 2). The bail 135 is kept in its counter-clockwise position, as shown in Fig. 1, by a spring 136, anchored to a downwardly-extending flange of the bail 135 at one end and to the bottom plate 66 of the key bank unit at the other end. A stop is provided to keep the hail from turning further clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 1. The stop means consistsof a rest, not shown, against which stud 137 bears. Referring to Fig. 7, which is a top plan view of the key release bail, there is a rearwardly-extending set of two fingers, such as the fingers 140 and 141 associated with each denominational row of digit keys, said fingers extending between the associated latching shutter 80 and the associated zero stop latch member 142 (Fig. 9), in such a manner that the rocking of the bail clockwise, as seen in Fig. 1, will move the shutters to ineffective position, the keys thus being released and allowed to return to normal undepressed position under the influence of the springs 75. It is not necessary to discuss the well-known function of the zero stop shutter 142, as it is not necessary to an understanding of the invention. The slots between fingers 140 and 141 permit the legs 83 of the slides 77 (see Fig. 8) to pass through. In old constructions of machines of this type, the slots were deep enough so that the forward movement of the slide 77 would not interfere with the key restoring mechanism which has been described, with the result that, if a multi-digit number was set up on the keyboard and a digit key operated past the latching position, at the end of the machine operation all the keys would be restored except those which were held down by the operators fingers.

In the novel construction provided by this invention, the slots between the fingers 140 and 141 have been shortened by a notched plate 143, which is secured to the top of the bail 135, the shortening of the slots being indicated by the portions 144 extending beneath plate 143. This shortening of the slots is suificient so that, if a key in a particular denominational order is held down, past the latching point, to cycle-initiating position, the front edge 145 (see Fig. 8) will abut the bottom of the notch 146 in plate 143, thus preventing the rocking of the key restoring bail in a key restoring movement. Consequently, the holding of a digit key depressed past latching position at the time lever 120 (Fig. 1) attempts to move bail 135 in a key release movement, the flexible coupling between the lever 129 and lever 134 will permit lever 129 to move without moving the key release bail. This means that, if a multi-digit number has been set up on a keyboard and a single digit key is held down to cycle initiating position, the machine will cycle over and over, entering the amount into the machine on each machine cycle, the key restoring bail being held disabled so that the selected keys will not be restored.

This constitutes the novel repeat mechanism. It is to be understood that the plate 143 (Fig. 7) need not be used, but, instead, the bail 135 itself may be so formed that the slots between the fingers 140 and 141 are made short enough so that the legs 83 of the slides 77, in cycleinitiating position, will abut the bottom of the slots on the bail 135, so that it will be rendered inoperable.

While the form of mechanism shown and described herein is admirably adapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form or embodiment disclosed herein, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various other forms.

What is claimed is:

1. In a calculating machine having a cyclically operable main operating means and means operable to initiate a cycle of machine operation, the combination of a plurality of digit keys each operable from a normal inefiective position to a latch point, against a force urging it to normal position, where it controls the entry of data into the machine during the next machine cycle, and operable beyond the latch point to operate the machine cycle initiating means to cause a cycle of operation in addition to controlling the entry of data into the machine; latch means for the keys which latches any key operated to the latch point or beyond against retuming to normal ineffective position; latch releasing means operable to release the latch means, permitting operated keys to return to normal ineffective position; latch releasing means operating means operated each machine cycle; an interponent flexibly coupled to the latch releasing means, said interponent being positioned so as to be moved by the latch releasing means operating means at the close of a cycle of machine operation, said movement of the interponent normally operating the latch releasing means to restore the keys; and means actuated by movement of a key beyond the latch point to hold the latch releasing means inoperable even though the interponent is moved by the latch releasing means operating means, the flexible coupling rendering such possible, whereby if a plural-digit number is set up on the keys and the operator operates and holds any key beyond the latch point through the end of the ensuing machine cycle, the keys will not be restored and the machine will go through another cycle in which the amount represented by the operated keys is again entered into the machine.

2. In a calculating machine, the combination of data control keys each operable from a normal position, against resilient return means, to a latch point and beyond; latch means automatically latching any key operated to the latch point or beyond from returning to normal position; a main operating means giving the machine a cycle of operation when tripped, during which cycle the data represented by the keys operated to the latch point or beyond is entered into the machine; a latch release means operable to release latched keys so that they may return to normal position; latch release means operating means moved each machine cycle by the main operating means; an interponent member moved by the latch release means operating means at the close of each machine cycle; means resiliently coupling the interponent and the latch release means, which operates the latch release means when the interponent is moved unless the latch release means is restrained; and control means moved by operation of a key beyond the latching point, said control means when moved tripping the main operating means and restraining the latch release means, said control means retripping the machine for another cycle of operation if held moved by a key through the end of a machine cycle, whereby the amount represented by the operated keys is again entered into the machine.

3. In a cyclically operable calculating machine, the combination of a plurality of amount entering keys each operable from a normal position, against a resilient return means, to a latching position, and each operable further to a machine-cycle-initiating position; means to latch keys operated to latching position; a key restoring means normally operated by the machine at the close of a machine operation to unlatch latched keys so that they will return to normal position; and means operated by a key held in its machine-cycle-initiating position to keep the key unlatching means from operating.

4. In a cyclically operable calculating machine, the combination of a plurality of denominational rows of digit keys each selectively operable from a normal position, against a resilient return means, to a latch point where it controls entry of data during a machine cycle and further to a machine-cycle-initiating position where it may be held in the further position by an operator; latch means normally preventing keys operated to the latch position or further from returning to normal position; a key unlatching means common to all the rows of keys, said means being operable to unlatch any latched key; and means operated by a key held in the further position preventing the unlatching means from operating.

5. In a cyclically operable calculating machine, the combination of a plurality of denominational rows of digit keys each selectively operable from a normal position, against a resilient return means, to a latch point where it controls entry of data during a machine cycle and further to a machine-cycle-initiating position where it may be held in the further position by an operator; latch means normally preventing keys operated to the latch position or further from returning to normal position; a key unlatching means common to all the rows of keys, said means being operable to unlatch any latched key; means operated by a key held in the further position preventing the unlatching means from operating; power means operated at the end of each machine cycle for operating the unlatching means; and a yielding coupling between the power means and the unlatching means, which coupling yields when a single digit key is held in the further operated position during the unlatching time of the cycle, whereby all other latched keys are retained in latched position.

6. In a cyclically operable calculating machine, the combination of a plurality of denominational rows of digit keys each selectively operable from a normal position, against a resilient return means, to a latch point where it controls entry of data during a machine cycle and further to a 1nachine-cycle-initiating position where it may be held in the further position by an operator; latch means normally preventing keys operated to the latch position or further from returning to normal position; a key unlatching means common to all the rows of keys, said means being operable to unlatch any latched key; means operated by a key held in the further position preventing the unlatching means from operating; power means operated at the end of each machine cycle for operating the unlatching means; a yielding coupling between the power means and the unlatching means, which coupling yields when a single digit key is held in the further operated position during the unlatching time of the cycle, whereby all other latched keys are retained in latched position; and means operated by a key held in said further position past the end of a machine cycle for initiating another machine cycle in which the amount represented by the latched and held down keys is again entered into the machine.

No references cited. 

